Housley Should Have Until End of December

[...]

4 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Not quite.  I said this several times last season:  It was an 82 game training camp.  Wins didn't matter, personal development did.  He molded several of the individual players to play his system.  Now he has the whole team playing it.  Maybe it was part tank, too, but I really think Phil just said not to worry about winning, just learn how to play.  This year and going forward, it's about winning.

I think when he was on WGR this past week he alluded to something not unlike the latter part of your theory.  Obviously, the tanking part will never be brought up.  I think it was Phil talking about how they had to really rework the fundamentals before they could graduate past them.  

[Doohicksie]

That's a very diplomatic way to put it.  ?

I think JBot and HCPH told Pegula, "We're not going to make the playoffs the first year, so just ignore everything until *next* October."  Then they did what they had to to prepare the players for Phil's system.

[pi2000]

Jury is still out, it's not even December yet.

If we're not gonna fire him after 8 months of bad hockey, we shouldn't absolve him after 8 wins.

[PerreaultForever]

On 11/23/2018 at 9:31 PM, Doohickie said:

That's a very diplomatic way to put it.  ?

I think JBot and HCPH told Pegula, "We're not going to make the playoffs the first year, so just ignore everything until *next* October."  Then they did what they had to to prepare the players for Phil's system.

Not wrong. I doubt the word "tank" was ever used, but I am sure they thought about it and wanted it.

I suspect when JBot was hired he laid out a multi year plan and first year was identify the problems, learn the strengths and weaknesses of the existing players, eliminate problems and rebuild the structure (including the farm system).

Second year was likely build a new era around Eichel and a more balanced line up. Possibly challenge for the playoffs if all goes well. I am sure we are ahead of schedule.

Playoffs may only have been 3rd year of the plan that builds from Rochester and the draft.

Something like that anyway.

[MJS]

3 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Not wrong. I doubt the word "tank" was ever used, but I am sure they thought about it and wanted it.

I suspect when JBot was hired he laid out a multi year plan and first year was identify the problems, learn the strengths and weaknesses of the existing players, eliminate problems and rebuild the structure (including the farm system).

Second year was likely build a new era around Eichel and a more balanced line up. Possibly challenge for the playoffs if all goes well. I am sure we are ahead of schedule.

Playoffs may only have been 3rd year of the plan that builds from Rochester and the draft.

Something like that anyway.

People seem to forget that these new coaches come with a multi-year plan and that the Pegulas know and have signed off on the plan. Both the Bills and the Sabres are on schedule, I think (the Bills making the playoffs last year was just a bonus).

[dudacek]

Marty Biron said it best on the post-game show: we nitpick and second-guess Housley’s decisions to death but pretty much everything he’s doing at the moment is turning to gold.

Sending out Thompson in the shootout in a must-score situation?

[Randall Flagg]

9 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Marty Biron said it best on the post-game show: we nitpick and second-guess Housley’s decisions to death but pretty much everything he’s doing at the moment is turning to gold.

Sending out Thompson in the shootout in a must-score situation?

Not being critical of Phil's decision, it was obviously a good one, but he made the exact same decision the very last shootout we were in, like a week ago, and it was the opposite of gold. 

Just because shootouts are a tossup even for the best of the shootout performers.

Thompson is confident and has probably shown stuff in practice. 

I'm surprised we didn't see Risto or Dahlin. Did Dahlin try a shot in Winnipeg? 

[dudacek]

2 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

Not being critical of Phil's decision, it was obviously a good one, but he made the exact same decision the very last shootout we were in, like a week ago, and it was the opposite of gold. 

Just because shootouts are a tossup even for the best of the shootout performers.

Thompson is confident and has probably shown stuff in practice. 

I'm surprised we didn't see Risto or Dahlin. Did Dahlin try a shot in Winnipeg? 

He didn’t make the exact same decision. Last time Tage shot (and missed) for the win, it was Pommer who shot (and scored) to keep the game alive.

[GASabresIUFAN]

In the shootout, when Sam Reinhart is your 7th best option that is a good thing.

[SDS]

9 minutes ago, Randall Flagg said:

Not being critical of Phil's decision, it was obviously a good one, but he made the exact same decision the very last shootout we were in, like a week ago, and it was the opposite of gold. 

Just because shootouts are a tossup even for the best of the shootout performers.

Thompson is confident and has probably shown stuff in practice. 

I'm surprised we didn't see Risto or Dahlin. Did Dahlin try a shot in Winnipeg? 

Like Tyler Myers, I thinks this giants bring a different look to a shootout attempt. Their arms are just so damn long they can get around any keeper if you get them to move. 

[Randall Flagg]

10 minutes ago, dudacek said:

He didn’t make the exact same decision. Last time Tage shot (and missed) for the win, it was Pommer who shot (and scored) to keep the game alive.

Using the young green kid in the shootout with more established options available is all I meant for the comparison. 

[Brawndo]

No Dahlin or Ristolainen have not been in shootouts as of yet 

[SwampD]

11 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

In the shootout, when Sam Reinhart is your 7th best option that is a good thing.

Yes. It it.

[PerreaultForever]

16 hours ago, Randall Flagg said:

I'm surprised we didn't see Risto or Dahlin.  

I personally would like to see what Dahlin would do. We get down to the 6th guy or so I'd certainly give him a try. 

[sabills]

On 11/24/2018 at 3:00 AM, pi2000 said:

Jury is still out, it's not even December yet.

If we're not gonna fire him after 8 months of bad hockey, we shouldn't absolve him after 8 wins.

See man, THIS is when people think you're trolling.

[pi2000]

Sorry Phil, I'm pinning this loss on the fact you cancelled practice on Wednesday.   Figure it out already.

[Kruppstahl]

On 11/25/2018 at 10:07 AM, GASabresIUFAN said:

In the shootout, when Sam Reinhart is your 7th best option that is a good thing.

Depends on how you look at it.  There's a reason Reinhart is shooting 7th.

He should be 1 or 2, considering he was the best forward in the world in his draft class.

Reinhart is always going to be less than hoped for, I think.

 

 

 

[Randall Flagg]

1 hour ago, Kruppstahl said:

Depends on how you look at it.  There's a reason Reinhart is shooting 7th.

He should be 1 or 2, considering he was the best forward in the world in his draft class.

Reinhart is always going to be less than hoped for, I think.

 

 

 

What's the reason?

Of all players on the Sabres roster to have more than 2 career shootout attempts, Sam Reinhart has the second best career success rate in the shootout, behind Pominville.

I agree that he should be 1 or 2 in the shootout, because he's shown to be the first or second best at it on the entire team.

[LTS]

1 hour ago, Kruppstahl said:

Depends on how you look at it.  There's a reason Reinhart is shooting 7th.

He should be 1 or 2, considering he was the best forward in the world in his draft class.

Reinhart is always going to be less than hoped for, I think.

 

 

 

This is not good logic.

His value and draft rank is determined by the team that must select him and their perception of his talent and fit to their team relative to the rest of the draft field.

Reinhart would not have been the 2nd overall pick if he was drafted 1 year later or 1 year earlier.

 

 

 

[pi2000]

hmmm

[CallawaySabres]

Time is a tickin......

[Eleven]

Well.  With one game left in December, here is your thread.

[Samson's Flow]

1 minute ago, Eleven said:

Well.  With one game left in December, here is your thread.

During the winning streak this thread seemed silly. Given the last 10 including tonight, I'm not so sure anymore.

I still think it's a player (depth forwards) issue more than coaching, although the PP coaching is suspect

[Eleven]

5 minutes ago, Samson's Flow said:

During the winning streak this thread seemed silly. Given the last 10 including tonight, I'm not so sure anymore.

I still think it's a player (depth forwards) issue more than coaching, although the PP coaching is suspect

Housley makes some mistakes.  He doesn't use timeouts when he should.  He hasn't tried anyone at 2C in forever, even though it's obvious that Mittlestadt isn't ready yet.  He puts Remi Elie and Matt Tennyson in the lineup instead of, I don't know, ANYONE with a pulse.

That doesn't mean that I want him gone.  But he does make some glaring mistakes.

[Samson's Flow]

1 minute ago, Eleven said:

Housley makes some mistakes.  He doesn't use timeouts when he should.  He hasn't tried anyone at 2C in forever, even though it's obvious that Mittlestadt isn't ready yet.  He puts Remi Elie and Matt Tennyson in the lineup instead of, I don't know, ANYONE with a pulse.

That doesn't mean that I want him gone.  But he does make some glaring mistakes.

I think we're all frustrated right now, but it's important to remember that successful organizations generally are fairly stable with coaching and management continuity.

I just hate losing...